Someone has been quite busy smashing car windows and grabbing valuables in NDG - there have been at least 20 incidents in the past 6 weeks, according to community relations officer Peter Mandelos at PDQ (Poste de quartier) 11.
The thief would show up on a bike near places where people park and leave their cars for short periods, like daycares and schools. If he saw an opportunity he would smash the window, grab the goodies, leap onto his bicycle and pedal like mad.
Luckily a few citizens caught a glimpse of the crook and took the time to inform the police. The descriptions were sketchy but the MAP team was able to piece together the puzzle and identify a possible suspect, someone who had been released from prison just before the mini crime wave started.
After secretly following the suspect for about a week, the police’s hard work paid off when they caught him in the act. Four officers watched from hiding as the suspect punched his gloved fist through the window of a car on and fled on his bike with the loot scooped from a woman’s handbag. The police chased him on foot. The officer in charge, Sergeant Richard Desgroseillers, called out the bandit’s name and told him that his NDG address was known. The thief knew the jig was up and was captured coming out of an alley at Hingston and Sherbrooke on March 26 at 5:15 p.m.
Often, says Mandelos, this type of crime is done by kids looking for a quick score so they can purchase drugs like crack cocaine, but in this case the alleged serial burglar is a white 46-year-old, which Mandelos finds “quite sad.”
He encourages citizens to call in, anonymously if they wish, if they see anything suspicious or witness a crime. In this case it paid off - the police were able to use several small pieces of info provided by residents to come up with a suspect.
Mandelos also reminds drivers to lock their cars, even if they’re only gone for a second, and avoid leaving valuables in plain sight.
For more information on the great work of the team at PDQ 11, go to station11spvm.qc.ca
